RADFORD – President Penelope W. Kyle ended an international search today by naming Dr. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Dean of The Honors College at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, as Radford’s first Provost.
“Radford University is at a critical crossroads in its proud history. Dr. Griffith is an acclaimed scholar who brings significant talents to our already strong community of teachers and scholars. I am confident that his leadership will strengthen our position within Virginia’s higher education community,” said Kyle. “This is a truly historic day for Radford – for our students, our faculty, our staff, and our alumni.”
Radford has not had a Provost in its 96-year history.
Griffith was chosen from a pool of 78 applicants, including several from overseas. A specialist on Caribbean and Inter-American security, crime, terrorism issues and the illegal drug trade, he has written three books and edited or co-edited another four, most recently Caribbean Security in the Age of Terror (2004). “Radford is a place of great possibilities that’s experiencing a transformational moment, and I am delighted to be able to join a wonderful team of faculty, administrators, and staff to help facilitate the movement from a good academic enterprise to a great one,” said Provost designate Griffith. “The students and citizens of Virginia and the nation deserve no less.” During his tenure as Dean at FIU’s Griffith inaugurated a medical education partnership with the University of South Florida College of Medicine and created a Student Research and Artistic Initiative on FIU’s campus, among other things. He led enrollment growth in FIU’s Honors College from 600 students in 2001 to a current 1100.
Kyle convened a 19-member search committee of faculty, staff, administrators and students in January. After interviewing 10 semi-finalists in Charlotte in early April, the search committee invited six finalists to meet with campus constituencies between April 12 and April 28. An unranked list of 4 candidates was then forwarded to Kyle on May 2. “Dr. Griffith’s passion for excellence and his student orientation were evident in his application and during his interviews,” said College of Education and Human Development Dean Paul Sale, Chair of the Search Committee. “He is a visionary leader,” Dr. Mark Rosenberg, State University System of Florida Chancellor and former Provost at FIU, says of Griffith, “He is a high energy leader with empathy. Virginia’s gain is Florida’s loss.”
Griffith holds a Bachelor of Social Science with Distinction in Political Science from The University of Guyana, a Master of Arts from Long Island University, a Master of Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the City University of New York. As well, he is a member of the Class of 2003 of Harvard University’s Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) program and the Class of 2005 of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI) program.
As Provost, Griffith will serve in a senior role on Kyle’s Cabinet and lead the Academic Affairs Division at Radford. The University’s seven deans and the University Librarian will report directly to Griffith. In addition, Griffith will oversee almost 400 full time teaching and research faculty and manage a budget in excess of $53,000,000.
Griffith also has authored articles in numerous scholarly journals. In addition, he has provided consultative services to the US Department of State, the Organization of American States, the Ford Foundation, the New York-based think tank called Freedom House, and other agencies. As well, he has delivered dozens of speeches at military, diplomatic, and academic forums in the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Griffith is married to Francille Griffith, a Registered Nurse who also holds a Master of Science degree in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis in Illinois. They have two children, Shakina Aisha, who is in college, and Ivelaw Lamar, who will begin college in the Fall.
